Cousin: Fujita said police would not find murder weapon

Fujita faces murder charges in death of girlfriend Astley

Published 11:43 AM EST Feb 23, 2013

WAYLAND, Mass. -

Shortly after authorities say Nathaniel Fujita murdered Lauren Astley in his Wayland home, he called his cousin and asked her to hang out, she said Friday in Middlesex Superior Court, the MetroWest Daily News reported.

Caroline Saba of Framingham said during Fujita's murder trial on Friday that she didn't go to his house on July 3, 2011, because she had other plans.

On July 4, 2011, after she learned that the 18-year-old Astley was at first missing, and then dead, Saba said she questioned Fujita in her family's Framingham home about the previous day.

"Having done what I was beginning to realize he had done, I asked him how he could possibly call me to hang out," said Saba. "He said that he needed someone to hang out and to get his mind off of it.

"I asked him if the police were going to find anything at the house that was going to connect him to Lauren's death," continued Saba. "He said 'They won't find a weapon, if that's what you mean.'

"I asked him how her car got to the town beach, and he said, 'It was me,' " Saba said.

Saba, who is two years older than the 20-year-old Fujita, said she and her cousin had always been close. She said she spent a lot of time with him during the spring and summer, including July 2, the day before Astley was killed.

Saba said she and Fujita went to Mashpee that day to see one of her friends and go to the beach.

At the beach, they played catch with a football, and were introduced to a lifeguard Fujita's age. Later, he went to a local mall with Saba and her friend.

"He laughed a lot," Saba said.

Saba said she was aware that Fujita had broken up with Astley, but said he never wanted to talk about it.

On July 3, 2011, Fujita came to her home in Framingham for a family cookout. She said they watched TV together and then took turns playing music on a keyboard.

He left that the cookout around 5:30 p.m. because he was going to GNC at the mall. She said he called around 8 p.m. and asked her to come over.

"He sounded hyper," she said. "He sounded different than usual. He wasn't as monotone as he usually was."

Under cross-examination by Fujita's lawyer, William Sullivan, Saba said Fujita was showing signs of depression in the spring and summer of 2011.

Saba said he would stay in bed until noon, and would only leave the house to go to the gym to work out. He would also frequently smoke marijuana and did not appear to be socializing with anyone.

"To me, it seemed to be getting worse by the day," she said.

At one point, Fujita's mother, Beth Mattingly-Fujita, was so concerned that she asked Saba to look at her son's text messages. There was a series of messages from Astley trying to get Fujita to talk and hang out, and Fujita showing resistance to the idea.